Method and apparatus for improving resilience in customized program learning network computational environments

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and a method are provided for learning a program with a large number of parameters. In one embodiment, a method not only distorts the input values, but also distorts some of the parameters in the program model. Such an approach not only forces the learned program to acquire parameter values to predict missing or desired data, but also to correct errors in the input data and the program parameters themselves, thereby rendering the learned program more resilient to overfitting and falling into local optima.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims priority of U.S. provisional patent application (“Provisional Application”), Ser. No. 61/661,736, entitled “Method for Improving Resilience in Customized Neural Network Computational Environments,” filed on Jun. 19, 2012. The disclosure of the Provisional Patent Application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to improving resilience in a computational environment that is based on programs that learn, such as a neural network model. In particular, the present invention relates to introducing noise into a learning program to improve resilience to overfitting data, and to avoid getting stuck in local optima.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Learning programs, such as neural networks, have been used to uncover hidden information inherent in data. The uncovered hidden information allows that data to be subsequently analyzed for a variety of purposes, such as classification or for use in decision making. A neural network model is usually based on a graph consisting of nodes that are referred to as “neurons” and directed, weighted edges connecting the neurons. When implemented in a computational environment, the directed graph of the neural network model typically represents a function that is computed in the computational environment. In a typical implementation, each neuron is assigned a simple computational task (e.g., a linear transformation followed by a squashing function, such as a logistic function) and a loss function is computed over the entire neural network model. The parameters of the neural network model are typically determined (“learned”) using a method that involves minimizing the loss function. A large number of techniques have been developed to minimize the loss function. One such method is “gradient descent,” which is computed by finding analytical gradients for the loss functions and perturbing or moving the test values by a small amount in the direction of the gradient.

One specialized neural network model, called an autoencoder, has been gaining adherents recently. In the autoencoder, the function that is to be learned is the identity function, and the loss function is a reconstruction error computation on the input values themselves. One technique achieves effective learning of a hidden structure in the data by requiring the function to be learned with fewer intermediate neurons than the values in the input vector itself. The resulting neural network model may then be used in further data analysis. As an example, consider the data of a 100×100 pixel black-and-white image, which may be represented by 10000 input neurons. If the intermediate layer of the computation in a 3-layer network is constrained to having only 1000 neurons, the identity function is not trivially learnable. However, the resulting connections between the 10000 input neurons and the 1000 neurons in the hidden layer of the neural network model would represent in some extent the interesting structure in the data. Once the number of neurons in such an intermediate layer begins to approach 10000 then the trivial identity mapping becomes a more likely local optimum to be found by the training process. The trivial identity mapping, of course, would fail to discover any hidden structure of the data.

An interesting technique to allow a large number of intermediate neurons to be used is the “denoising autoencoder.” In a denoising autoencoder, the input values are distorted, but the network is still evaluated based on its ability to reconstruct the original data. This makes the identity function not usually a good local optimum, and thereby allows a larger hidden layer (i.e., with more neurons) to be available to learn more relationships inherent in the data.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method which allow a learning program to use a large number of parameters without failing through overfitting or getting stuck in local optima. In one embodiment, a method not only distorts the input values, but also distorts some of the parameters in the program model, such as a neural network model. Such an approach not only forces the learned program to acquire parameter values that allow the program to predict missing or desired data in the input, but also to correct errors in the input data or the program parameters themselves.

The present invention is better understood upon consideration of the detailed description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one implementation of program learning system 100, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a method which allows programs to be learned using a large number of parameters. A method of the present invention distorts both the input values and some of the parameters in the program model (e.g., a neural network model).

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one implementation of program learning system 100, according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, program learning system 100 includes input randomizer module 101, learning program 102, output port 103, parameter updater 104, parameter randomizer module 105 and expected output module 106. In one embodiment of the present invention, program learning system 100 may be implemented on a computational environment that includes a number of parallel processors. In one implementation, each processor may be a graphics processor, to take advantage of computational structures optimized for arithmetic typical in such processors. A host computer system using conventional programming techniques may configure program learning system 100 for each program to be learned. Learning program 102 may be organized, for example, as a neural network model. The program model implemented in learning program 102 may be variable, taking into account, for example, the structure and values of the input vector and the structure and values of the expected output data. Control flow in the program model may be constructed based on the input vector or intermediate values (“states values”) computed in the program model.

A method of the present invention is described in conjunction with the operation of program learning system 100. Under this method, the following operations are carried out for each individual input in program learning system 100:

-   -   a. selecting a random input distortion percentage (with a         maximum of, say, 50%) and a random parameter distortion         percentage, which need not equal the input distortion         percentage;     -   b. blanking out or randomizing (“corrupt”) a portion of the         input vector that is received into input randomizer 101 based on         the input distortion percentage selected;     -   c. blanking out or randomizing (“corrupt”) a portion of the         parameters in the parameter randomizer module 105 using the         parameter distortion percentage and providing the corrupted         parameters to the program model configured in learning program         102;     -   d. providing an output vector to output port 103 from learning         program 102, using the distorted input vector in the distorted         program model.     -   e. based on the expected output data provided by expected output         module 106 and the output vector, applying in parameter updater         104 a suitable learning technique, such as a gradient descent         technique, to update the parameters in the program model.

The method iterates repeatedly (and sometimes stochastically) over all the available input vectors. The collection of all input vectors is referred to as the “input set”. In this context, blanking or randomizing refers to assigning a value that is recognized by the system to represent a missing datum, a value based on a random distribution, or a zero value. The expected output data in expected output module 106 may be generated by a training algorithm, or provided a priori. Under this method, the program model learns to construct the expected output data using only a varying fraction of its parameter values. As a result, the program model must adapt to be less reliant on any one parameter and to develop error-correcting parameters. As a result, the learned program can be used to predict missing input data and to correct errors in the input data, as well as to predict desired data related to the input data (e.g., a classification). The learned program will also exhibit resilience in accommodating greater variations in input data and state values.

The selection of the level of corruption also plays an interesting part in avoiding overfitting of the data. While the program model learns simple cases at low levels of distortion, leaving in variable amounts of distortion in the network connections allow the program to learn more challenging cases, especially after the simple cases have been learned. In that way, the gradient of the program in the learning network is always driven in the direction of having to solve ever more complicated cases, and empirically this tendency seems to reduce the amount the program model overfits the data. As the program model functions at greater corruption, the learned program incorporates to greater extent the inherent structure of the data, and the predicted values required.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a language model was trained using phrases randomly extracted from a number of Wikipedia documents to predict a next word from one or more words in an input vector (e.g., a phrase or sentence completion application). The language model was able to learn underlying structures in common phrases. For example, the word “City” is predicted to likely follow the two-word sequence “New” and “York.” In another embodiment, a search model was trained to predict from an input phrase the documents in a document collection that the input phrase is likely to have originated from. The language model and the search model may be linked to build a search engine. Many applications may be found in predicting various interactions in a social media network.

The methods provided in this detailed description may be implemented in a distributed computational environment in which one or more computing elements (e.g., neurons) are implemented by a physical computational resource (e.g., an arithmetic or logic unit). Implementing program learning system 100 in parallel graphics processors is one example of such an implementation. Alternatively, the methods may be implemented in a computational environment which represents each parameter in a customized data structure in memory, and a single processing unit processes program element in any suitable order. The methods of the present invention can also be implemented in a computational environment that is in between the previous two approaches.

The above detailed description is provided to illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to be limiting. Various modification and variations within the scope of the present invention are possible. The present invention is set forth in the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. In a computational environment, a method for learning a program that is characterized by a number of parameters, the computing environment allowing the program to receive an input vector, an expected output vector and values of the parameters, the method comprising of: choosing an input distortion percentage and a parameter distortion percentage each having a value between zero and a respective predetermined maximum and; blanking out or randomizing the input distortion percentage of values in the input vector; blanking out or randomizing the parameter distortion percentage of the values of the parameters of the program; and applying a learning technique to the program, using the expected output vector, the distorted input vector and distorted parameters.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected output vector is generated by a training algorithm.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein, in which the blanking out or randomizing steps, the input values or parameter values are randomized based on one or more predetermined random distributions.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the learning technique applied comprises the step of minimizing a loss function computed over a sample of the input.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of minimizing the loss function is carried out using gradient descent, or second order minimization methods such as newton or quasi-newton methods over the loss function.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the program uses a control flow determined by a structure or value of the input vector or the state values in the program.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the program comprises linear transformations among values in the input vector, values of the parameters, and state values of the program.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the program uses one or more nonlinear functions among values in the input vector, values of parameters, and state values of the program.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the nonlinear functions include a sigmoid function and a rectified linear function.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the computational environment includes a plurality of computational resources each assigned to process a fraction of the input set.
 11. An apparatus for learning a program that is characterized by a number of parameters, the apparatus receiving an input vector, an expected output vector, and values of the parameters, the apparatus comprising: an input randomizing module; a parameter randomizing module; a parameter updater and an expected output module, wherein the apparatus carries out a method comprising: choosing an input distortion percentage and a parameter distortion percentage each having a value between zero and a respective predetermined maximum and; in the input randomizing module, blanking out or randomizing the input distortion percentage of values in the input vector; in the parameter randomizing module, blanking out or randomizing the parameter distortion percentage of the values of the parameters of the program; and applying a learning technique to the program, using the expected output vector, the distorted input vector and distorted parameters.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the expected output vector is generated by a training algorithm.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein, in the blanking out or randomizing steps, the input values or parameter values are randomized based on one or more predetermined random distributions.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the learning technique applied comprises the step of minimizing a loss function computed over a sample of the input.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the step of minimizing the loss function is carried out using gradient descent over the loss function.
 16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the program uses a control flow determined by a structure or value of the input vector or the state values in the program.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the program comprises linear transformations among values in the input vector, values of the parameters, and state values of the program.
 18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the program uses one or more nonlinear functions among values in the input vector, values of parameters, and state values of the program.
 19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the nonlinear functions include a sigmoid function and a rectified linear function.
 20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the computational environment includes a plurality of computational resources each assigned to process a fraction of the input set.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the computational resources comprise graphics processors. 